I had a chance to meet him when he was filming Catching Fire. Very nice guy, down to earth, took his time with the fans, and paid attention to the kids that were at the event. I have always liked him. I did not know that he was the father of three.

This is so heartbreaking. He was sober for so long – 23 years – it is just hard to believe he relapsed in this way and wound up dead. And I know it is common after rehab for people to OD – Addiction is the worst.

His best performances, in my mind, could stand next to the best performances of the best actors ever to have lived. What an unbelievable talent. Such range!

He was also a low-key NYC fixture. I worked in the indie film business when I first got here and wound up at a small party with him once and would see him around the Village every once and a while – always by himself, and never drawing attention to himself. Seemed just like a regular guy going about his day.

Condolences to to his family. The arts have seen a loss of one of the true greats on this day.

My heart hurts for his children. Really getting tired of losing some of our greatest talents to drugs. I wonder if we as fans can create some type of reverse peer pressure, constantly tweeting to them or something, 'your drug use is not cool'. Nah, nevermind. It doesn't work that way, does it. 🙁

Great talent he was a genius when it came to slipping into diverse characters. How hard and stressful that must be, to walk, talk and move differently… Think differently. Be different according to each character…And then have to shut it off and put it away. I imagine your drug of choice shortcut the trip back to yourself..butAccidents happenRest in peace but I'm still mad at you…

My husband told me he saw it on the computer this morning and said that he didn't even know he was into drugs. A lot of people probably had no idea. I said, sadly after reading this site, that I did and was not surprised. It's always the talented ones and yet there are many who cheat death who are just a waste of space. Sounds mean, but it's true.

Sad that a great talent has died. Sadder still the 3 young children who are now without a father. Drugs make nice (and bad) people selfish and irresponsible, and I feel for his kids. He lived as a great talent, and in the end, died as a weak, addicted and selfish father. Unfortunately, I will remember him as the latter.

Phil was one of my favorites. Who knew back in 1992 that the snotty rich guy from Scent of a Woman would later become one of the greatest actors the medium has ever seen? I was such a fan. Tremendous guy.

Fucking Heroin. How Tom Sizemore managed to escape death from all his heroin use I'll never understand.

This is so very sad. The DM has been running a story about a bad batch of heroin that's in circulation on the East Coast. It's mixed with fentanyl and has killed about 100 people so far. I am wondering if he got some bad stuf…

ARRRRRGGGGGHHH. I F*CKING HATE DRUGS. I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM. (I hate that ever tried them in my carefree youth… No one ever thinks when they experient, they will be the addict… Ugh.) THIS BS TRASH SH*T HIGH HAS ONLY ENDED UP BRINGING THIS WORLD PAIN AND MISERY. GODDAMMIT. A BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFUL, GENEROUS SPIRIT HAS LEFT TOO SOON. MAY PSH REST IN PEACE. MAY HIS CHILDREN BE STRONG AND GROW UP IN LOVE AND SUPPORT, KNOWING THEIR FATHER SHARED AN AMAZING GIFT With THE WORLD, and we are GRATEFUL FOR HIM. f*CK THIS IS SAD. .

He was one of those actors whose name on the front or back cover of the movie meant it was worth my time and energy to watch. He didn't do shitty projects. And even the mediocre projects were saved because of his involvement. He commanded my attention while he was on the screen, and I was happy to give it to him.

We all knew he as using again, but I was hoping he'd find his way back to sobriety. This is such sad news.

Occasional lurker, compelled to comment. I am a SoCal native, very close to many aspects of 'the industry' my whole life. If you would like to gain some wisdom here, I am willing to offer…Hollywood (almost ALL) is a cesspool of drug addiction, licentious, wretchedness,. It feeds on loneliness, naivete, and brokenness. Drugs are one of the tools used to manipulate and corrupt unsuspecting victims.

With that said, each individual needs to take responsibility for their own lives and refuse drugs. This must become the conviction and motto of our country or DRUGS will continue to own and destroy our lives and world.

I do not want to be misconstrued as blaming the victim, not the case at all. BUT the only way it will stop is if the victim retaliates. There are other options, maybe not as glamorous, or as exciting, or as easy, but in the end they are MUCH better options than this: broken man, broken wife, broken family, fatherless children….Wretched Hollywood, and wretched drugs.So very sad.:(

Super sads….hoped he'd get the monkey off his back, HUGE loss, 23 yrs of sobriety that he couldn't find his way back to. If anything, I hope those who are struggling with addiction *right now* please tap back into your strength, remove yourself from your party friends who are your enablers – only- reach out to a person you can trust and seek help. Life is worth living and you can do it.And for those who play, be smart, if that is possible.Peace.

Incredible journey but way too short. See you on the other side. RIP PSHheadrot – doesn't have to be you. Please get help. Help is out there waiting for you. We need good people in this world. Good luck!

Thanks for inserting your wisdom into a world that otherwise glamorizes Hollywood and their antics!! I have come to realize as I have read more about it, that Hollywood is a cesspool that destroys all who enter.

Only a druggie would say that so… I challenge that lame excuse. Regular people have a drink or two with dinner or with friends. Yes millions of us exist who do not drink to get drunk. Not sure why else someone smokes pot except to get stoned. As for all other drugs it is ridiculous to compare them to alcohol.

No you're wrong. People try it for the hell of it all the time. Knowing better they want to walk on the wild side. Don't romanticize some peoples bad choices. Many times it is just stupidity, arrogance, or what the hell…

I've never experienced heroin addiction. Have you? It must be hellish. Consider that this guy had addiction issues early in life, beat them back and worked very hard on stage and on screen for many years doing genius work. He was a devoted father who spent lots of time with his kids. When he started using again he not only went to rehab but publicly used the career killing word heroin probably because he blieved honesty was essential to recovery. I would guess his inability to stay clean forced him to live apart from from his partner and kids–who were waiting for him to come over this morning. That doesn't t sound like something he chose because it was fun. I don' t know how his body felt when it craved heroin. But he was a guy who worked constantly,was kind and helpful to other people and loved his kids. I'm pretty sure there's no moral high ground I'd be willing to stake. I have no sense he was weak. Just addicted.

bookjacket, I agree. Addiction isn't the same as being "weak". It's a battle that addicts and former addicts have to face constantly. Unless you have walked that walk, don't assume you know where he went wrong.

I was stunned to hear of his passing and when I heard how they believed he had passed, I remembered that there have been reports of a particularly deadly heroin blend out there right now. There was an article in the WaPo about a girl in Virginia who died from this powerful heroin mixture. Just terrible news.

This is a personal tragedy to PSH and his family. Sadly, the posts of others show how widespread the use of this drug is (my brother was an addict in his teens, now clean for 25 years, but you always worry about relapse). I'd guess the number of posters here who know someone afflicted with, or dead because of H is in double figures. However they won't garner millions of santimonious Facebook status updates. 🙁

So tragic. This man was such a talent. Unfortunately, what makes people so creative people is their vulnerable sadness, and the drugs help them cope with that sadness and industry pressure. I pray for his family and hope he is at peace. He was a real scene-stealer. He even made "Along came Polly" tolerable.

I'm so sad to hear the passing of such a great actor and soul. He first came into my consciousness with Magnolia. One of the finest actors working. To reiterate what someone said above – Hollywood has claimed another one. Read Day of the Locusts to get a picture of Hollywood and its dreary isolation. I'm so terribly sad to hear this news. He was understated yet powerful in so many of his roles.

Happiness where are you? I haven't got a clue….We've all got our poison. All have our demons. I'm so sad that his, eventually, won. No judgement here, just incredible grief. He was one of a kind & a genuinely good person and incredible talent.

So sorry Aunt Liddy about your nephew. Hope you are doing ok. Steampunk, I identify with your feelings. I lost a friend that committed suicide, and I loved him as a friend. I was shocked and so sad, but I was also mad at him. So angry that he threw it all away and took himself away from his family and friends. I really liked Seymore Hoffman. He was a scene stealer, wasn't he? Just a natural. I liken him to a modern day Spencer Tracy. Everyone take care.

@bookjacket – well said. If I sounded angry earlier, I was. I'm angry at the chemistry that gave this truly superb actor the demon addiction. I feel cheated of so many great performances he had ahead of him.

I'm pretty sure this was an accidental OD, not a suicide, but I just read in a NY tabloid that his partner – and the mother of his three kids – was turned away, weeping, at the scene by the NYPD.

I guess since they never married, she wasn't next of kin. Get a grip, NYPD.

The tabloid also said he'd been renting in the apartment he died in during a temporary separation from the mother. I'm guessing Mom knew he was using again and asked him to take it out of the apartment where his three young kids lived.

Goodbye, you brilliant fuck-up. I know your kids will have memories of you that don't involve you dead for a few hours in your underwear on a bathroom floor with a needle in your arm.Dammit, still angry at you.

Just watched Capote and Ridley, and read the obits and the comments here. I don't think PSH chewed the scenery or stole scenes; it's just that he was a better actor than his better-looking co-stars.

Pub ad link

DISCLAIMER

CRAZY DAYS AND NIGHTS IS A GOSSIP SITE. THE SITE PUBLISHES RUMORS, CONJECTURE, AND FICTION. IN ADDITION TO ACCURATELY REPORTED INFORMATION, CERTAIN SITUATIONS, CHARACTERS AND EVENTS PORTRAYED IN THE BLOG ARE EITHER PRODUCTS OF THE AUTHOR'S IMAGINATION OR ARE USED FICTITIOUSLY. INFORMATION ON THIS SITE MAY CONTAIN ERRORS OR INACCURACIES; THE BLOG'S PROPRIETOR DOES NOT MAKE WARRANTY AS TO THE CORRECTNESS OR RELIABILITY OF THE SITE'S CONTENT. LINKS TO CONTENT ON AND QUOTATION OF MATERIAL FROM OTHER SITES ARE NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CRAZY DAYS AND NIGHTS.